NOJHL 2nd round playoff preview: Cochrane Crunch vs. Timmins Rock

NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE

Release Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2017

NOJHL 2nd round playoff preview: Cochrane Crunch vs. Timmins Rock

SUDBURY, Ont. – The second Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League East Division semifinal features the No. 2 Cochrane Crunch taking on the No. 3 Timmins Rock.

Game action will commence Thursday evening at the Tim Horton Event Centre in Cochrane at 7:30 p.m.

Over the course of the 2016-17 regular season only five points separated the clubs through 56 games.

The Crunch ended up second in the NOJHL East with 81 points after going 38-13-4-1 while the Rock went 36-16-3-1 and finished with 76 points.

Timmins tied with Powassan for the most goals scored in the league at 271 while Cochrane was third in this category at 257.

The Crunch was fifth best in the 12-team NOJHL in fewest goals allowed at 175. The Rock was seventh at 202.

In the nine times the clubs met during the campaign, Cochrane took the season-set by winning six times and losing three.

Konnar Dechaine of the Crunch had a pair of game-winners and assisted on another.

The Cochrane trio of Dechaine, league scoring champion and second team all-star Braeden Cross and Brandon McReynolds combined for 37 points vs. Timmins on the year.

Dechaine led the way with 14, including nine goals, while Cross collected 13 points and McReynolds 10 with the latter duo picking up three tallies apiece.

The top point producer for the Rock against the Crunch was Bain Cunningham as he scored once and doled out nine helpers.

Stewart Parnell and Brendan Campbell were close by with eight points each.

Leading the Cochrane defensive corps is league top defenceman award winner and first team all-star recipient Connor Lovie while Spencer Sequi paced the Rock in points among blueliners during the year with 30.

Taylor Unruh had two wins and a loss in starts against the Rock while Leighton Williams was 1-1.

Al Rogers had all three Timmins’ triumphs over Cochrane, but also suffered a trio of setbacks.

The two teams also met in divisional semifinal play last year with the Crunch sweeping the best-of-seven in four straight.

The winner of this series will take on the survivor of the other divisional match-up between the Powassan Voodoos and Kirkland Lake Gold Miners in the East final.

All NOJHL playoff games are streamed live online at HockeyTV.com.

East Division semifinal (Series D)
No. 2 Cochrane Crunch vs. No. 3 Timmins Rock
Best-of-seven series
Game 1: Thursday, March 16 @ Cochrane 7:30 p.m. (Tim Horton Event Centre)
Game 2: Saturday, March 18 @ Cochrane 7:30 p.m. (Tim Horton Event Centre)
Game 3: Wednesday, March 22 @ Timmins 7:30 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 4: Saturday, March 25 @ Timmins 7:30 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 5*: Sunday, March 26 @ Cochrane 6 p.m. (Tim Horton Event Centre)
Game 6*: Tuesday, March 28 @ Timmins 7:30 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 7*: Wednesday, March 29 @ Cochrane 7:30 p.m. (Tim Horton Event Centre)
*- if necessary

With files from NOJHL statistician and historian David Harrison